Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1887-12-22
The DAY OF DOOM.
The Hanging OF Chester bellows NJ
Chatlcs city.

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CHARLES Cry, Dec, l0.--To.day viii
long be remembered rs an eventual one
for Charles City. Not only were the
streets ihrunged. but the thoughts of
many ~ the people Of Iowa were upon
the city where for the first time In twenty
years was TO be presented the repelant
spectacle Of man hanged not for ven.
gcanrc, hut Justice according to ordered
laws. There WAS no thought OF reprieye
or C, mmuiati,n; no words OF sympathy
or pity. All was quiet In the Jail, no,
rustic or sound bct0kening the mpend
Ing fate TO the outside world In the
On ~ mnrning the rural inhabitants began
IL p,ur into town. the inceni.,e being l,"'
strong to be repellsd, Al y n'cln"k
arc md the Jail. all was excitement. Thr
multitude gathered, thinking that they
would be "hered an opportunity to wit
ness the execution, but their desire wa,
turned away ungratitlcd, Outside few
reporters, and those authorized by law,
none were TO witness the execution which
toll wed Alto O'Clock six chosen meL
fr m Co. f., |. n. a.. went on duty.
Eeeping watch around the gallows en-
rlnsure. His lat might on earth waS one
not soon to DO forg lten by the faithful
Heath watches. Up Ia y o'clock he man
tested the Same fearless dlspoSiti N sG
gr,ted by the words he spoke 10 The
Warden ut Anamosa lie begged him To
Tell the sheriff tn hang him early In the
morning 50 that he might 20 10 he'll in
time for breakfast Shortly afrr9 o clock
he sheriff entered his cell with letter
from his sister, Mrs, Waterman, the con
tents OF which will never be known, The
letter was handed 10 Bell VIZ ani the
sheriff took occasi n 10 WrnoniSh him e.
prepare for eternity, a. he was 20 be sure
" hanged IN the morning Bellows look
Vd up into hi. face saying that he wuul
laugh Al him on the gnlIows The sheriff
stepped from the cell and soou he heard
the means from Bellows We, ping over
the las, written W ,ris frnu once de-
waited sister An hour was spent IN nj
ternate weeping and swearing, now weep
my oyer the thoughts OF death and hi
terrible crime, swearing because OF
the imagined iHh imam treatment thu
he was receiving Sh 'rlly after
o'clock he made break for liberty
raising large arm chair to strike
down one ~ The death guards ~ he wa
hendug over fixing the tire. lie was
prevented IN this aud went 10 his cell cat
aud laid d wn, lie went to sleep right
AWAY aud did not ava Ken until t'cl 'ck,
n. M. when he arose and again went I"
buslng the guards and demanding that
he be liberated The guard gave him
~ satisfaction. and he a.ahn went to his
cot and slept for over an hour, lie
awokc for the lay, time on earth shortly
after 7 orlock, aud refused to accept OF
any eatnhlos Whatever lie was appar
entity In great agony OF mind, but never
llsped u word 81 sorrow over the terrible
crime he had committed At 1880 the
inil enti sure was thrown open and the
forty,six who had tickets passed In. A
terrible sound greeted their ears II was
the voice of Bcl'w In hiI cell resisting
the officers ~ they were putting the
shacklts upon him. lilo succeeded IN
inllicting mn ugly wound by biting Que Of
the guards hands. lie WINS forced To- the
wall and was firmly bound
At II minutes TO II Sheriff Clark
stepped on the platform calling 10 firm
clear voice the names of the twelve Jury
men. each responding TO his name. The
death warrant was then read 10 Bellows
In his cell. At lOa5 the death march
commenced The wind w from the
criminals cell ID been taken out and
stairway leading up 10 the gnll"ws erected
Up they assembled tho sherif leading
followed by his deputy. Then came Bel
lows, In stocking feet partly carried by
two strong men. His strength had failed
him. He took h position over tns tap
and stared Al the audience. for mom1nl
his face wearing u sad detected 10 His
legs we,s pinioncd, but not u word es'
capped his l.ps until Sheriff Clark al jusled
the moose, when he broke down crying,
'Plense don't, please Il Mt, please don't''
The ose WINS then frightened, when In
almost iiaudiblc words ! g said, "Pm In
noceni" His supporters stepped on ether
side Of him, Sheriff Clark moved to the
rear, and nj four minutes to eleven, with
that terrible lie fresh on his lis. the trap
was sprung aud Bellows was swung Int"
eternity. Niue minutes after the trap
was sprung life was practically zone. lie
WAS cut down NJ ll:l5. An examination
proved that his neck had been broken In
two places M relatives Witnessed the
exermti N. an | none would accept ~ the
remains. Ii was buried In the cemetery.
hut il IL rumored that 1t will not long re-
main there.
The crime was one ~ the most brutal
md cold-bopded ever recorded In the
annals OF Iowa II was committed on
the farm ~ Chester Wilcox. In FLOYD
q, unity, | wa. on the Sth day ~ July,
1886, the victim being his niece, Alice
Waterman. u beautiful girl Of sixteen
Bellows was horn In the lily ~ New
York aud early In youth was deprived
4 n fathers care and was brought up
with passions unchecked and temper un
b,rlcd, a vile aud hardened wretch.
VII sc every thought was licentious and
whose aims were solely the qualifications
~ the In Is OF his hardened heart.
time before he reached his IN ,lnrity he
lr,ve . street cur in Minneap lis ana
there went from bad to worse. With
such traits Of character as these he came
into the happy and highly respected
Waterman family. aud proved he serpent
in their Ellen. With no respect for self
or kindred be endeav ored to destroy the
virtue ~ their daughter. his niece. n
highly cultivated and much respected
v, unv lady. Failing In this distardly at
iemui and being for hidden longer the
privileges OF home he was laying the
Foundation TO de-tr y. without the slight.
rsl provocatiop except that engendered
Nv a debased mind aud an utterly harden.
cd and corrupt heart he murdered the
poor girl. wantonly and cruelty. lie bad
learned his lessons Of unbridlcd passions
on the streets aud IN the slums ~ great
cities aud the end II but = legitimate re.
suit Of that education